Energy

Filing cabinet smoker

  I’ve seen some ingenious peeps on FaceBook and YouTube, this has to be in the top 10 of cool DIY, have you seen the…
  • June 5, 2015·

Living in small camper vans

I am learning more and more about people who live nomadic lives, driving and living in smaller camper vans rather than buying into the larger…
  • May 30, 2015·

Why be debt free?

Why is it so important to be debt free when you go off-grid? I can answer that because I’m living it and reaping the benefits…
  • May 24, 2015·

Big guy, tiny home

When Joel Fleck moved home to after college, he wanted his own place, but he didn’t want to pay the steep Sonoma County rents, so…
  • May 20, 2015·

Friends in small places

Welcome To “Bestie Row”: Lifelong Friends Build Row Of Tiny Houses In The Middle Of Nowhere. Some friendships last forever. You hear of lifelong friends…
  • May 9, 2015·

Apocalypse Then

* Hundreds of survivalists and ‘Preppers’ gathered in Salt Lake City last weekend to forestall the Apocalypse * Shown underground bunkers, tactical weapons and an…
  • April 27, 2015·

Castle de-fence

  Well, more like a gate, it is part of the defense, I don’t expect anyone to really charge the door, they would have to…
  • April 24, 2015·

I finally got it!

Actually got it last week, it was sent out a month ago from the UK, it arrived in Chicago and took a long rest, must…
  • April 19, 2015·
Viggo Mortensen interview explaining his secret life off the grid

Backwoods past of Movie Star

Actor Viggo Mortensen recalls his favourite filming locations are “the outdoors and natural landscapes, so there are places in New Zealand, particularly the South Island…
  • April 11, 2015·

Oogoo

As frugal and creative off-gridders, we are always on the lookout for good DIY projects, recently I “discovered” a product that can be made with…
  • April 5, 2015·
Fraudlent gains of banking industry will never be repaid

Stop Thief!

I’ve been robbed! I‘ve been robbed by the banksters and the police and the government. They conspired together to brush aside the compelling evidence of…
  • April 4, 2015·

Whose Land Is It Anyway?

As the West prepares to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta – the cornerstone of our civil liberties – a small eco-village is…
  • April 1, 2015·

DIY as much as possible

…and truck update. A few weeks ago, I had a chance encounter with an elk, an animal of much height, girth and weight. After looking…
  • March 21, 2015·

Laura Ling Launches New Web Series

Laura Ling is producing and hosting a new series called ‘Going Off-Grid.’ It highlights people who have decided to disconnect from the everyday world. In…
  • March 16, 2015·

Microgrid trade fair, Barcelona

(PRWEB) – Microgrid technology developers and business leaders from around the world will gather in Barcelona, Spain, May 19-21, 2015, for the Microgrid World Congress…
  • March 16, 2015·

Keyhole garden

It’s so nearly spring, I am itching to get out and do some gardening, I’ve been getting seed catalogs, the siren song of the gardener.…
  • March 11, 2015·

A wonderful off-grid couple

There are many off the grid tutorial videos about nearly anything having to do with off-grid life, there are a precious few about the people…
  • February 25, 2015·

Mobile living

A few months ago, a long lost friend appeared back in my life, a friend I knew when I was an early teen but lost…
  • February 18, 2015·

On demand water heater

There are a few needs, requirements for life, food, water, shelter, once those basic requirements are met, after that come the things that make life…
  • February 15, 2015·

Show the Love for Valentine’s Day

Stars including Stephen Fry, David Harewood, Dermot O’Leary, Jarvis Cocker and Emilia Fox are spearheading a new global environmental campaign. Together with over 100 organisations…
  • February 12, 2015·

49 Raw Food Recipes

50 Raw Food Recipes By Audrey & Matt You may: – already be following a raw food diet (100% or less) – know about raw…
  • February 11, 2015·

Fantasy castle on wheels

When I first saw this, I wondered how interesting this might be, then I watched the video, I’m blown away, so is PB, he was…
  • February 4, 2015·

Squeezing the photons

Squeezing those photons, that’s what I call it when we don’t have much power. Our solar system is small, and most of the time, it…
  • February 1, 2015·

Snow on the Sky Castle

One of the things I enjoy about the area where we live is we get all kinds of weather, even some extremes, but none of…
  • January 24, 2015·

Vince’s not so tiny home

Vince took a page from LaMar Alexander’s book and videos and built his own semi-small house, by most standards this is a small home,  measuring…
  • January 20, 2015·
Off-Grid Undertaker Don Byrne works on a hand-made pine coffin in his outdoor studio on a 32-acre homestead in Bear Creek, N.C. Byrne lives off the grid, with no electricity and running water. In the background is his son, Niko, 4. He builds the coffins with antique hand tools, selling them for about $875 to $1,000 to people who want a simple, ``green'' burial.

Off-Grid Undertaker

Anti-consumerist pioneer, Duke University grad, walks away from middle class life to live the simple life in a 12x12 cabin
  • January 19, 2015·

Mobile Nuclear inevitable

Mobile nuclear power generators could become a viable energy source in the future. Earlier this week Mississauga, Canada-based Terrestrial Energy signed a collaboration agreement with…
  • January 18, 2015·
Rob Greenfield from San Diego purchases 'house' measuring 5ft by 10ft

Campaigner moves to tiny home

* Rob Greenfield from San Diego purchases ‘house’ measuring 5ft by 10ft * The environmental activist will live in the 50sq foot box for the…
  • January 18, 2015·

500 square feet

500 square feet, for some, that’s a decent walk in closet, but not for this couple, Robert Cole and his partner Kelly Casthena, they live…
  • January 17, 2015·

Water and Energy shedding

We know all about load shedding and we’ve been warned about water shedding. So what do we do about it? According to rainwater harvesting specialist…
  • January 16, 2015·
Chinese model poses nbext to BYD Hybrid - the Prius-killer

BYD gets into V2G

The name tells you everything – Chinese vehicle company BYD – it stands for Build Your Dreams – has embraced V2G – Vehicle to Grid…
  • January 9, 2015·

Vandwelling

Modern technology, we have shunned much of it, but sometimes it’s a great thing to have around, the internet, FaceBook and the such, these things…
  • January 4, 2015·
India, yurt vacation, unplugged,

Indian getaways

. Here’s some ideas about where you could holiday off the grid in India… MARITIME ADVENTURE Sunbathe on pristine-white sand beaches, hunt for seashells and…
  • January 4, 2015·

Alternative uses for Reflectix

I’ve been seeing this material called Reflectix, it’s basically bubblewrap encased in aluminized mylar on both sides, it has insulative properties. It was originally created…
  • January 2, 2015·

Wish list

Everyone has a wish list, right? Although one of the secrets to happiness is being contented with what you have, you can still wish for…
  • December 28, 2014·

New Slow City by William Powers

The Slow Movement is slowly becoming mainstream. Several years ago, William (Bill) Powers, after a decade in international aid work, embarked upon an experiment. He…
  • December 28, 2014·

Living in a shed? Why not?

Food, water and shelter are 3 of the main requirements to live, today we will talk about shelter, your home. Many of us don’t have…
  • December 21, 2014·

It’s been 8 years now…

This week, we have many things to be thankful for, Christmas is fast approaching, we are healthy, there is food in the fridge and on…
  • December 21, 2014·

Roswell Bunker for sale

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — An underground missile silo is currently one of New Mexico’s hottest real estate properties. More than 40 people, some from out…
  • December 14, 2014·

Fugitive Family

The Irish Times reports on an American family being featured on Channel 4 TV tonight. They have spent the last 14 years living in isolation…
  • December 10, 2014·

Off-Grid in Terlingua TX

I remember, shortly after we moved to our off-grid life in far west Texas, one day we had the radio playing, we could only get…
  • December 7, 2014·

Small town politics

You have found the perfect piece of land, it’s out in a rural area, you don’t have many neighbors, as time goes by you get…
  • December 6, 2014·

Kodiak Power pack

Going out and about for a few days or living full-time away from Utilities, the Kodiak box from Outdoor Technology is one of the better…
  • December 5, 2014·

Mixing different solar panels

Like many people starting out going off-grid, your pocketbook is being pulled in many different directions, so you buy a few solar panels to get…
  • November 30, 2014·
Bristol group want to take themselves off the grid

UK Surf Centre to go off-grid

A SURF centre in Easter Compton near Bristol is launching a £150,000 crowdfunding campaign that will help fund some of the site’s sustainability plans. The…
  • November 24, 2014·

Competition for off-grid ideas

WWF South Africa is hoping for more entries into its annual Climate Solver Awards. The competition is a chance to show off innovative technologies geared…
  • November 24, 2014·

The beginning…

Spring 2007 “What do you think?” PB asked with a hopeful look on his face. “What about your job? Our families? Your kids were born…
  • November 23, 2014·

A solar bus home

I have a great love for small homes and portable homes, many of the DIY bus conversion homes are pretty good, but this one is…
  • November 22, 2014·

Waste oil heaters

Winter is here, all the way down here in far west Texas, tonight it will get down into the low 20s(F), definitely wood stove fire…
  • November 16, 2014·

How to grow a Sky Castle

Ever wonder how a sky castle grows? One room at a time :) In this case, this “room” was a semi enclosed deck between the…
  • November 13, 2014·

It’s not too soon…

October is gone, November is here, it’s getting dark earlier (for those of us in the Northern hemisphere), it’s getting cold…. it’s also getting closer…
  • November 8, 2014·

Buying your own land

Buying land, it’s something you will be doing if you want to homestead or go off-grid on your own. Personally I wouldn’t want to “go…
  • November 5, 2014·

Off-Grid guests

Moving to and setting up your off-grid home, it’s most likely in an out of the way, rural, scenic spot, a place that is often…
  • November 2, 2014·

Living in a Fire Truck

Forester Simon Danant started living in his 1980s Bedford truck last summer. Its a former Army fire engine. He moves it around Cambridgeshire, living behind…
  • October 31, 2014·

LED technology and DIY

Off-Gridders have been around for a long time, but it’s just been recently that technology has been available to make living off-grid as cushy as…
  • October 19, 2014·

Pizza pizza

This past week was a hard one, my work partner and I worked extra long days so that we could have a few extra days…
  • October 19, 2014·
Off-=Road best in a Chevrolet

Great Autos for the Boonies

Getting away from it all – really away – is harder than most would like to think. I went to an off-grid festival last month…
  • October 4, 2014·

Off-Grid update

Winter is coming, it’s well into fall and the season is definitely changing. The air is cooler, especially in the mornings, crisp, I can smell…
  • October 3, 2014·

Freezing food

For the longest time, I’d buy my produce at the farmer’s market over the weekend. When the next Friday rolled around and I hadn’t used…
  • October 3, 2014·

Water-cooled solar panel

A new solar harvester that can provide power and clean water is in the works. Its hardly suprising that panels can overheat in the very…
  • October 2, 2014·

Garlic festival

ORANGE, MASS, 28 Sept — Thousands of people began making their way to a field in the middle of nowhere Saturday to enjoy the 16th…
  • September 28, 2014·
Professor Camilo Mora predicts 5 BILLION deaths through global warming by 2050

Alaska to be the next Florida?

Climate change will make the most desirable places to live currently, uninhabitable by the middle of this Century – according to a scientific paper in…
  • September 27, 2014·

Retired Engineer pimps his RV

Thomas “Tim” Lemieux lives in an unlikely showcase for green energy: a 1997 Winnebago recreational vehicle. Scale a narrow ladder up the side of the…
  • September 26, 2014·

New hybrid generator

UK Digger and Tractor manufacturer, JCB has launched its first hybrid diesel-electric generator set, supposedly intended for the off-grid market. But it does not allow…
  • September 23, 2014·

Picking the wrong plant

Since having such a wet rainy season, as compared to the previous several rainy seasons, I have seen many more species of wild plants growing,…
  • September 21, 2014·

Bobbage bridge update

Strange name for a title, Bobbage, well if you have followed me for any length of time, you will know that Bobbage is what we…
  • September 20, 2014·

London party for Finding Infinity

London, 4 September 2014 – Fashion Designer Vivienne Westwood held the first of a series of solar-powered parties to promote the use of renewable energy.…
  • September 9, 2014·

Fermented foods

Earlier today, after church, I was getting ready to lay down to take a nap, the radio was playing softly in the background, I typically…
  • September 7, 2014·

Invisible Woman re-elected

They just don’t get it do they? The Green Party, once the repository for the hopes and dreams of UK environmentalists, continues to do everything…
  • September 4, 2014·

Building up

This young family lives in Portland Oregon on a half lot, their home is very small by most standards, preferring to build UP instead of…
  • August 31, 2014·
Edisto river canoe and tree house experience

Tree house vacation

Book a tree house on the Edisto River. These tree houses have no electricity or running water, but are considered one of the South Carolina…
  • August 31, 2014·

Harvesting Excess Man Made Energy

Albany NY designer, Manoocher Zarif is piloting a device that converts vibrations found in urban traffic into electricity. The industrial design graduate came across the…
  • August 27, 2014·

Legal tiny home

I love these tiny homes, this one is particularly interesting because it’s completely legal, not saying all the other tiny homes are illegal, in some…
  • August 10, 2014·

Platinum fuel cell trials in S Africa

Renewable Energy mag reports Canadian fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power Systems and Anglo American Platinum, the world’s largest primary producer of platinum, have launched a…
  • August 4, 2014·

A new doc in town

I think I am in love, and it’s with another man, but it’s not what you might think :) About a month ago, I took…
  • July 26, 2014·

Total Luxury with no Utilities

A luxury hotel with no mains utilities is being built on the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. The Uzuri Hotel Resort, anticipated…
  • July 22, 2014·

Delivery Van to RV for £6000

The ordinary-looking blue van has a chimney protruding from the roof. This leads down to a wood burner in the former window-glazing truck, which a…
  • July 22, 2014·

A bridge to Bobbage

Living here going on 8 years and we still have to hike up to the sky castle, the reason is because of a seasonal creek…
  • July 20, 2014·

Off the Grid and On the Cloud

Why do we have the slogan “off the grid and on the cloud?” Because we advocate combining ancient wisdom with the latest technology. It’s great…
  • July 16, 2014·

Gardening roundtable

About a week ago, I got a phone call from one of my neighbors and friends out here, it was time to do another gardening…
  • July 13, 2014·

off the grid but on the cloud

Cloud computing may seem incompatible with being off-grid, but there are ways to live in the cloud even when you don’t have an Internet connection.…
  • June 13, 2014·
Former Law enforcement officer has had it with the man. Living off the grid is his solution

Ex-cop predicts collapse

Harold Smith cam on our YouTube page today, commenting on our video Inside the Movement as follows: I spent 20 years in law enforcement, and…
  • June 13, 2014·

Lost Faith in the System

Joachim Hagopian voices the feelings of millions of Americans The forsaken American population finds itself more in poverty (46.2 million people) as well as more…
  • June 5, 2014·

Tiny home in Hawaii

I think we can all appreciate Johnny Sanphillippo’s situation, he worked hard at a job he loved that unfortunately didn’t net him a large salary,…
  • June 5, 2014·
how to protect your privacy online

Online privacy – talks series

A californian hacker is touring the world giving advice on how to protect your own privacy. This summer Abhay Agarwal is hosting dozens of conversations…
  • June 5, 2014·

Shop the bunker

The Spectator newspaper reports that an architect who usually designs Manhattan skyscrapers was recently asked to pitch for a far more interesting project. The client,…
  • June 1, 2014·

America Unplugged – new series

Sportsman Channel is getting unplugged in a new TV series about people living off-grid. Premiering June 5 at 8 p.m. (ET) America Unplugged, hosted by…
  • May 30, 2014·

Keeping it clean…

Hygiene while living off-grid, especially if you are living rough and/or just starting out, keeping clean can be one of the challenges. When PB and…
  • May 30, 2014·
Barton St David, Plotgate farm aims to persuade locals

New rural community to launch

As the nation’s housing crisis (also known as the nation’s house price bubble) intensifies, part of the solution is hiding in plain sight – cheap…
  • May 29, 2014·

Illegal to be off-grid?

Apparently it is illegal in some places, Florida makes off-grid living illegal – mandates all homes must be connected to an electricity grid. It’s no…
  • May 25, 2014·

Fox Schlock Seeks to Shock

My goodness, are those people at Fox Network total scumbags or what? Their latest big idea is a show called Utopia where a bunch of…
  • May 17, 2014·

Phantom loads

Sounds like something that should be discussed during October, it is scary, but not in a paranormal way…. a phantom load is simply electricity that…
  • May 10, 2014·

The wearable revolution

By Rachel Botsman – a global thought leader on the power of collaboration. What if you could draw a dollar sign in mid-air, followed by…
  • May 10, 2014·

Building WIld

The task is simple — take cabin-building to new extremes. Tackling this on “Building Wild” are opposites. Pat “Tuffy” Bakaitis knows cabins; he has five…
  • May 5, 2014·

Another cool tiny home

If This House Doesn’t Look Like Much To You, Wait Til You Go Inside. I Love Everything About This. After spending years in the rat…
  • May 3, 2014·

Scotland’s last wildnerness

Off-grid energy company Knoydart Renewables in Scotland is one of several projects to benefit from a new GBP1m Highland Sustainable Fund. It will receive GBP75,000…
  • May 1, 2014·

100 things to do on British Waterways

The Canal & River Trust (formerly British Waterways) is publishing details of 100 readymade waterway days out (canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit) to give individuals, couples and families a…
  • April 29, 2014·

US Army huge solar farm

Normally we do not like solar farms – they are usually built to feedinto the Grid – but not this one. The army just kicked…
  • April 26, 2014·
onshore wqind farms, offshore wind farms add to corporate profits

Why we oppose Wind Farms

For some politicians it is a badge of honor to come out in favor of wind farms. It allows them to suck up to green…
  • April 21, 2014·